Improved water-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEcE.

IM PROVED WATER-WH EEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 24,497, dated June 2l, 1859.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JONAS SMITH, of Westport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Horizontal Water-Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of my invention, taken in the line :c cc, Fig. 2. Fig, 2 is a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will l proceed to describe it.

A represents the wheel, which is formed by having buckets @between two annular plates b b, placed one over the other, and secured by arms o. concentrically to a vertical shaft B, placed in a proper framing. The wheel may be of any desired size, and may be of cast metal. The buckets @have a tangential position between the plates b b, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and the outer end of each bucket is formed with a lip c, which form obtuse angles with the faces of the buckets. The buckets a may have a vertical or inclined position. If inclined, their lower portion should be farther from the inductionopenings than their upper portions. In the drawings the buckets are represented as being vertical.

C is a stationary rim which encompasses the wheel A, the outer edges of the buckels and plates b h running just in contact with the inner side of the rim. The lower part of this rim C has a flange d attached, through which screws e pass into the` bottom of the penstock f, and firmly secure the rim thereto. The rim C has a number of induction-openings g made through it, the

.sides of which are beveled and made parallel witheach other, corresponding to the direction of the water as it passes through them into the wheel. This will be clearly understood by referring to Fig. 2. The number of buckets a exceeds the numberof openings gin the rim C. The rim C is covered by a plate h.

Around the rim C an annular gate D is placed. This gate is allowed to turn freely on or around the rim C, and it is formed by having a series of tangential vertical plates i between two horizontal annular plates j j. The vertical plates t' form guide-passages E to direct the Water into the wheel A, and the number of. these passa-ges correspond to the number of the induction-openings g in the rim C.

In a portion of the edge of the upper plate j of the gate D teeth lo are formed, and into these teeth a pinion gears by which the gate is actuated.

Through the bottom of the penstock f a ,t

circular opening b is made to allow `the water to escape from the wheel. l

From the above description of partsl it will be seen that by turning the gate D the passages E may be brought more or less in register with the induction-openings g in the rim C, and a greater or less volume of water may be admitted into the wheel as may be desired. It will also be seen that the volume of water passing through each induction-opening g will not 'be diminished in height at all, but in thickness,'so that the several volumes of water admitted through the passages g, Whether greater or less, will act on the buckets from top to bottom. This is animportant feature of the invention and insures a maximum eifect of the water that is admitted into the wheel, whether of greater or less volume. The volumes of water that pass through g, if reduced, are reduced at their inner side, (see red lines, Fig'. 2,) and an advantage is obtained in leverage power. The lips C of the buckets prolong the action of the water on them, and also prevent or counteract the pressure of the water on the inner side of therm C, and the tangential position of the buckets causes the water to act on them at right angles and prevents the water passing too quickly to the discharge-openin g h.

I do not claim, broadly, the tangential position of the buckets, for buckets have been previously thus placed; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by I ing lips c, all as herein shown and described, Letters Patent-y for the purposes set forth.

The arrangement and combination of the annular gate D when provided with tangen- JONAS SMITH. tial vertical plates 0l, stationary rim C, inter- Witnesses: Y posed between the gate D and Wheel A, and BYRON MX, wheel A when provided with buckets a, hav- PHILIP BOILEAU JONES. 

